Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Questions on how we spend our money and our time - consumer goods and services, home and vehicle, leisure and recreational activities
User avatar
Helo80
Posts: 2125
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2017 8:47 pm
Location: Unsophisticated Investor

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Helo80 »

HoosierJim wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 8:34 am
CobraKai wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:02 pm I wonder if the guy didn't just take a rag and wipe oil under the oil pan.
This is the same rag he shows everybody - wasn't even your oil or pan.

Reminds me of the extra $$$ I paid for TRU-COAT from Jerry Lundegaard at the Fargo dealership :moneybag

Last potential ripoff for me was a dealer warranty issue for the gm key switch issue - dealer said I needed a new cabin filter because it was packed with dirt. The problem was I personally changed that filter about 1 week earlier. Reported it to GM and never heard anything back.


That's actually hilarious... and there are dealerships still like that, but you should not reward bad behavior like this (by buying said car).
Thank God for Wall Street Bets.
Jags4186
Posts: 8198
Joined: Wed Jun 18, 2014 7:12 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Jags4186 »

I always get my oil changes at the dealer. This is a loss leader for them. You can usually find a coupon for $29.99 or $39.99 oil change and it’s unlikely they are going to mess it up.

You just have to say “no” when they start telling you about other stuff. You shouldn’t be getting any maintenance done that’s not in the owners manual and I don’t get things fixed unless I notice they are broken.

As for an oil leak, if you don’t have an oil stain in your driveway then you don’t have an oil leak.
User avatar
Helo80
Posts: 2125
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2017 8:47 pm
Location: Unsophisticated Investor

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Helo80 »

Jags4186 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:08 am As for an oil leak, if you don’t have an oil stain in your driveway then you don’t have an oil leak.


Oh brother....
Thank God for Wall Street Bets.
User avatar
RickBoglehead
Posts: 7877
Joined: Wed Feb 14, 2018 8:10 am
Location: In a house

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by RickBoglehead »

Jags4186 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:08 am I always get my oil changes at the dealer. This is a loss leader for them. You can usually find a coupon for $29.99 or $39.99 oil change and it’s unlikely they are going to mess it up.

You just have to say “no” when they start telling you about other stuff. You shouldn’t be getting any maintenance done that’s not in the owners manual and I don’t get things fixed unless I notice they are broken.

As for an oil leak, if you don’t have an oil stain in your driveway then you don’t have an oil leak.
Unlikely they are going to mess it up? You do know that they assign the least qualified person to do the oil changes, right? In fact, it may not even be a trained mechanic. Car/truck forums have numerous posts about stripped oil drain bolts, over/under filling of oil, leaving the oil cap off, putting in the wrong oil, not changing the filter, ...

As to an oil stain in the driveway, oil can travel backwards and paint the vehicle, and not drip on the driveway.
Avid user of forums on variety of interests-financial, home brewing, F-150, EV, home repair, etc. Enjoy learning & passing on knowledge. It's PRINCIPAL, not PRINCIPLE. I ADVISE you to seek ADVICE.
User avatar
Helo80
Posts: 2125
Joined: Sat Apr 29, 2017 8:47 pm
Location: Unsophisticated Investor

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Helo80 »

RickBoglehead wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 9:15 am Unlikely they are going to mess it up? You do know that they assign the least qualified person to do the oil changes, right? In fact, it may not even be a trained mechanic. Car/truck forums have numerous posts about stripped oil drain bolts, over/under filling of oil, leaving the oil cap off, putting in the wrong oil, not changing the filter, ...

As to an oil stain in the driveway, oil can travel backwards and paint the vehicle, and not drip on the driveway.


Yup --- I generally change my own oil. Though, I was out of town and my dad took the family F-250 to a high volume F-series dealership.....

The next time I changed the oil, the oil bolt had completely stripped inner threads.... Fortunately, it was on the bolt and not the oil pan. I went to a competitor, bought the $10 oil bolt, and have had no problems since. Also, the oil filter was screwed on so tight that it broken (albeit an old) oil filter removing tool.... I mean completely shattered the metal band.

My family has also taken new Toyota's to a good dealership that is number one on the list for new and recall servicing.... As many of you know, Toyota does 2 yr/24k miles of free servicing on their vehicles... I have found that they way, way, way overtighten the oil nut... It's honestly ridiculous.

Do I trust local dealerships now for even oil changes? Not really as they're not putting ASE mechanics on those jobs...
Thank God for Wall Street Bets.
User avatar
Kenkat
Posts: 9549
Joined: Thu Mar 01, 2007 10:18 am
Location: Cincinnati, OH

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Kenkat »

Helo80 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:28 am
CobraKai wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:16 pm
criticalmass wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:01 pmWhat is your car model/year/engine? That's a very important fact you left out. Are there any known oil gasket issues with this engine? (See model message boards). What is the book shop time for this repair? (See model message boards).
*Some models may have a complex procedure. This is more likely with cars built by companies who have headquarters in Europe.
I don't want to get too specific but it's a Ford. The guy said it is very rare that he has seen an issue like this.

If you're not going to provide the make/model/miles on the car, you are honestly wasting everybody's time.
Correct. This could be a valid repair on an older, high mileage car.
Rdytoretire
Posts: 443
Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2019 6:23 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Rdytoretire »

bloom2708 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 7:04 am Do you have oil drips on your garage floor or where you regularly park?

$400. Not life ending. No reason to have so much angst.


Life is too short.
Exactly right!!!!! The repair may have been legit and even taking it somewhere else may not have saved much. Best to move on.

More than likely most people will pay a lot more than that for a lesson learned. That is not mentioning those who get taken advantage of and don't learn from it at all.
User avatar
cashboy
Posts: 708
Joined: Tue Sep 11, 2018 5:03 pm
Location: USA

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by cashboy »

OP,

maybe it was needed; maybe it was not needed.

best to move on.

be easy on yourself. :happy

perhaps next time try someplace else.


me? i have had more bad experiences than positive experiences at dealerships. the only thing i would go to a dealership for is a recall. several years ago i found an independent shop with a great reputation and have been happy.

:sharebeer
Three-Fund Portfolio: FSPSX - FXAIX - FXNAX (with slight tilt of CASH - Canned Beans - Rice - Bottled Water)
Rdytoretire
Posts: 443
Joined: Mon Mar 25, 2019 6:23 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Rdytoretire »

Don't mean to hijack this thread but just want to share a auto repair experience I had a couple years ago. As an example.

I was getting a growling noise from the rear of my 2014 vehicle. Took it to a national repair chain and was told one rear wheel bearing/hub was bad and the other one was also going out. They wanted to charge $1000 for changing both bearings/hubs.

I realized that the power train of the vehicle was still covered under warranty so I took it to the dealer. The dealer took all day to diagnose/repair the vehicle. They did not have two bearings/hubs so they had to keep the car over the holiday weekend. Got my vehicle back and all seemed fine except for the damaged lug nuts and wheel well. I was so fed up with the dealer that I did not even mention this to them.

A few months later I get noise from one of the rear wheels. Turns out I had a bad bearing/hub. Instead of dealing with the dealer BS I just bought a name brand hub assembly for $100 and replaced it myself. Never replaced a hub/bearing before. Other than the hub possibly being difficult to remove due to rust if you can change a tire you can probably change a hub assembly. Granted a rear hub is easier to replace than front bearing/hub.

Maybe Lexus, BMW or Mercedes dealers are better but most of the auto dealers I have ever worked with have low skilled mechanics who often do more harm than good. And the service writers are a joke. They often know very little about cars. They are just sales people. I addition if you take your dealer issue up with the vehicle manufacturer, instead of helping resolve the issue they will give you the great advise that you should take your vehicle to another one of their dealers.

Perhaps others have had more positive experiences. I for one am glad my vehicle is no longer under dealer warranty. As I believe those warranties are pretty much worthless. The only incentive the dealer and manufacturer have to honor a warranty is they may keep you as a repeat customer otherwise they could care less.
Target2019
Posts: 901
Joined: Sat Mar 03, 2007 4:30 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Target2019 »

I am surprised that OP got out of the dealer without cabin filter replacement.
andypanda
Posts: 2009
Joined: Sun Nov 12, 2017 8:11 pm
Location: Richmond, Virginia

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by andypanda »

I have no idea if you got ripped off. Based on 54 years of buying and owning cars, I know that some dealers are much more honest than others.
Grt2bOutdoors
Posts: 25625
Joined: Thu Apr 05, 2007 8:20 pm
Location: New York

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Grt2bOutdoors »

hershey102d wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:23 am
RickBoglehead wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 10:33 pm Backseat forum auto repair experts, coupled with not being there, yields....
+1. The poster who stated replacing the gasket should only take 20-30 minutes has apparently never changed one. Removing pan, scraping old gasket, cleaning residue from pan and drying it, installing new gasket and torquing a plethora of bolts. Not saying that it should cost $400 but let’s not exaggerate to make a point.
I've actually had an oil pan replaced on my car courtesy of a "pro" over torquing the drain bolt on the pan and creating a hairline crack resulting in excessive oil leakage. The removal of the oil, removal of the old pan, stripping the old gasket off, putting on new gasket, the pan and the torquing of the bolts took an independent mechanic (not the "pro") exactly 2.5 hours and there was no dilly-dallying around either, I was in the auto bay the entire time watching it. It's a dirty job to say the least.
"One should invest based on their need, ability and willingness to take risk - Larry Swedroe" Asking Portfolio Questions
denovo
Posts: 4808
Joined: Sun Oct 13, 2013 1:04 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by denovo »

CobraKai wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 8:49 pm I went in for a routine oil change. They showed me an oil stain that I had under the oil pan and told me that the oil pan gasket needed to be changed. I was told this is a three hour job and they charged me $400. The guy told me it was 350 and then come to find out, it was 400. He said the 350 was for labor but I don't recall him saying "labor".

Anyway they made it sound like the oil could start pouring at at anytime and ruin my engine if I didn't get it taken care of. The repair was not covered under the ESP plan as the plan does not cover gaskets.

They also said it would take two hours but it took three hours.

I went ahead and gave them the green light but then I can't help but think I was mislead.
Yes you got ripped off. I bet you also got ripped off by the ESP. The ESP is a sign to the service department that you can be easily taken.
"Don't trust everything you read on the Internet"- Abraham Lincoln
Jack FFR1846
Posts: 18499
Joined: Tue Dec 31, 2013 6:05 am
Location: 26 miles, 385 yards west of Copley Square

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by Jack FFR1846 »

I'd be very interested in the year and model. If it's a first generation Fusion with the 2.3L 4 cyl engine, I'll put mine on the lift and give you an estimate of how long it would take me to do it.

My Wrangler could easily be done in half an hour, but it has absolutely nothing in the way and I do have air tools. That would include removing the oil pan skid plate, but its bolts are all shared with the pan, so that adds maybe 10 seconds to the job.
Bogle: Smart Beta is stupid
ifish100
Posts: 51
Joined: Thu Jun 04, 2015 5:23 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by ifish100 »

I do most of my own mechanical work on my vehicles. Without the normal 25% discount, the cost for a Ford F-150 oil pan gasket for the part itself at Advance Auto is $29. The highest priced one without the 25% normal discount is $66.

The website that states the part itself is $274 is giving misleading information.

Just saying.
User avatar
NCPE
Posts: 94
Joined: Tue Mar 15, 2016 5:10 am
Location: North Carolina

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by NCPE »

You might have needed an oil pan gasket but you should have noticed a large puddle of oil under the car in your garage.

The DW took her Honda CRV to the stealership for maintenance while it was under warranty since it was "included" in the purchase price (she also liked the free coffee :? ). As the car started to approach the end of the free maintenance period they became more and more aggressive at "upselling" services that were questionable at best.

Find a local mechanic you can trust and avoid the stealership and you will be better off.
User avatar
fortfun
Posts: 3146
Joined: Tue Apr 19, 2016 7:31 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by fortfun »

Probably a slow day at the shop. I had a dentist appointment like that once. Said my canine tooth needed to be filed down a bit. Never again...
BogleMelon
Posts: 3181
Joined: Mon Feb 01, 2016 10:49 am

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by BogleMelon »

CobraKai wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:02 pm
bob60014 wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 8:55 pm Oil stain? Frankly, sounds like a scam.
I wonder if the guy didn't just take a rag and wipe oil under the oil pan. I feel like an idiot now. I must look gullible or something.
No, don't feel that. No one is born educated. Consider that the cost of learning a new lesson in life and move on. I personally go to oil change armed with all kind of mental barrier and ready to say no regardless of what they would show me. I don't mind if my engine is literally on fire, I will still say no to change it. I would go to check somewhere else if their claim was true in 100% of the cases. But I didn't learn that for free either.
"One of the funny things about stock market, every time one is buying another is selling, and both think they are astute" - William Feather
squirm
Posts: 4239
Joined: Sat Mar 19, 2011 11:53 am

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by squirm »

Next time take it to another mechanic to look at before committing.
bikechuck
Posts: 1473
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:22 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by bikechuck »

t885 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:10 am
whodidntante wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:42 pm Sounds like you got got.
Unfortunately this is the correct answer.
I am not so sure about that.

So many people say to avoid the dealership for car repairs but I have had terrible luck with local independent mechanics who have good reputations. I buy relatively inexpensive new cars (mostly Honda Civics) and drive them for over ten years and at least 150,000 miles. I have found that Honda mechanics know Honda cars better than the independents, they are price competitive and they do good work. Perhaps my experience is not the norm and I have been fortunate in dealing with honest dealerships and unfortunate in having bad experiences with "trusted" local mechanics.
smitcat
Posts: 13300
Joined: Mon Nov 07, 2016 9:51 am

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by smitcat »

bikechuck wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:22 pm
t885 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:10 am
whodidntante wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:42 pm Sounds like you got got.
Unfortunately this is the correct answer.
I am not so sure about that.

So many people say to avoid the dealership for car repairs but I have had terrible luck with local independent mechanics who have good reputations. I buy relatively inexpensive new cars (mostly Honda Civics) and drive them for over ten years and at least 150,000 miles. I have found that Honda mechanics know Honda cars better than the independents, they are price competitive and they do good work. Perhaps my experience is not the norm and I have been fortunate in dealing with honest dealerships and unfortunate in having bad experiences with "trusted" local mechanics.
"Perhaps my experience is not the norm"
Based upon our experience your situation is opposite to ours.
User avatar
jabberwockOG
Posts: 3087
Joined: Thu May 28, 2015 7:23 am

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by jabberwockOG »

Would be very unusual for a shop to sell you a oil pan gasket change to rip you off. Putting in a new oil pan gasket is a nasty labor intensive job. If a dealer service dept wants to rip you off there are much easier and more profitable ways to create or fake a problem to inflate a car service bill.
bikechuck
Posts: 1473
Joined: Sun Aug 16, 2015 9:22 pm

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by bikechuck »

smitcat wrote: Sun Nov 10, 2019 6:18 am
bikechuck wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 11:22 pm
t885 wrote: Sat Nov 09, 2019 6:10 am
whodidntante wrote: Fri Nov 08, 2019 9:42 pm Sounds like you got got.
Unfortunately this is the correct answer.
I am not so sure about that.

So many people say to avoid the dealership for car repairs but I have had terrible luck with local independent mechanics who have good reputations. I buy relatively inexpensive new cars (mostly Honda Civics) and drive them for over ten years and at least 150,000 miles. I have found that Honda mechanics know Honda cars better than the independents, they are price competitive and they do good work. Perhaps my experience is not the norm and I have been fortunate in dealing with honest dealerships and unfortunate in having bad experiences with "trusted" local mechanics.
"Perhaps my experience is not the norm"
Based upon our experience your situation is opposite to ours.
Yes, my individual experience is limited and it is always risky to make conclusions based on a small sample size. That said I have found a dealership that I think is honest and treating me well so for now I will continue using them in preference to well regarded independent mechanics that have occasionally cost me thousands in poor repairs. In some cases the independents were likely well intentioned but they just did not know the car as well as my dealership. I will also remain vigilant because ownership and repair managers occasionally change and that makes a huge difference.
User avatar
LadyGeek
Site Admin
Posts: 95686
Joined: Sat Dec 20, 2008 4:34 pm
Location: Philadelphia
Contact:

Re: Was I ripped off at the car dealership?

Post by LadyGeek »

This thread has run its course and is locked (derailed into general rant, topic exhausted, no added value to continue). See: Locked Topics
Moderators or site admins may lock a topic (set it so no more replies may be added) when a violation of posting policy has occurred. Occasionally, even if there are no overt violations of posting policy, a topic (or thread) will reach a point where the information content of the discussion has been essentially exhausted and further replies are much more likely to cause distress to the community than add anything of value.
Wiki To some, the glass is half full. To others, the glass is half empty. To an engineer, it's twice the size it needs to be.
Locked